


It's all in the genes

by Hellosunshinemyoldfriend



Category: Derry Girls (TV)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:01:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24470977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellosunshinemyoldfriend/pseuds/Hellosunshinemyoldfriend
Summary: No one could deny that they looked similar. They had the same dark curls, and the same bright eyes, but that didn't mean pointing out the similarities didn't drive Michelle mad.Three times Michelle was annoyed at being compared to James and one time she didn't mind.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 115





	It's all in the genes

**Author's Note:**

> I have a new Derry Girls obsession and there's just not enough fic's out there to keep me going. Hence the fact that I keep writing them.  
> _____________________________________________

The similarities were obvious. 

Their hair. They had the same colouring, the same curls. Even their features were strikingly similar. She knew that, though for a long time she was loath to admit it. 

Even as a little girl it had annoyed her like nothing else when someone compared them. Whenever her Aunt would send photos of her and her son, everyone would remark at how much the boy in the photograph resembled her. 

So slowly she started to resent him. She was older then him after all. By ten whole months. Sure she was practically a grown up compared to him, and yet the comparisons continued.

Cathy came back to Derry for a visit the year Michelle turned 7. Naturally she brought her son with her. That was the first memory Michelle had of her cousin.

He was standing behind Aunt Cathy, clinging to her leg like a little baby. She had scoffed in disgust even as her Granny had rushed forward to scoop the boy up in her arms.

‘Ach Jamie how you’ve grown!’ She cooed. 

‘Mam his name is James.’ Aunt Cathy had reminded her with an eye roll. 

‘Aye Catherine because nobody’s ever gone by a nickname in this family before.’ Her Granny replied walking into the house with James still in her arms. 

‘Aye Deirdre they could be twins couldn’t they?’ Granny asked looked from James to Michelle with a big smile. ‘It’s the Maguire genes.’ She said in a proud voice.

‘Aye Mammy they do look similar.’ 

Michelle screwed up her nose. ‘No we don’t’ she said stubbornly. 

‘Of course you do Michelle love.’ Granny said, still fawning over her stupid cousin. 

She pulled a face but at the sharp look her mother sent her way she decided not to say anything else.

Though she decided in that moment that she hated being compared to her stupid cousin.  
__________________________________________________________________________

A few days later it had been one of her Granda’s friends. He’d taken her and James on a walk, to give Granny, Aunty Cathy and her Mammy some time together. 

They had just left the estate when they had come across Mr Gallagher. 

‘Aye is this your Cathy’s wain?’ He had called out as they walked up to him. 

‘It is aye.’ Her Granda said proudly putting a hand on James’ weak little shoulder. ‘This is James, little James Maguire.’ 

With two daughters Granda had never thought he would have a grandchild that carried his surname, until Cathy had a child out of wedlock that was.

It made Michelle’s blood boil. Her grandparents had to traipse all the way across the sea to go visit Cathy and James in London, and yet by virtue of the fact that the surname on James’ birth certificate was Maguire, he was the favourite? Yet Michelle and her brother Ryan were the ones who had to go to Sunday lunch every single week at the grandparents’ house. 

It wasn’t fair. 

‘Well hello James’ Mr Gallagher said kindly. ‘And how old are you?’ 

James slunk slightly behind Granda’s leg. ‘He’s a bit shy.’ Granda explained.  
Michelle rolled her eyes. ‘Go on son.’ He encouraged.

‘Six.’ James said softly in his stupid accent. ‘I’m six.’

Michelle felt a rush of triumph, finally something that separated them. He was just a dumb baby, She was seven already. 

Her triumph was short lived however, as Mr Gallagher looked at Granda with raised eyebrows. ‘They could be twins couldn’t they?’ 

‘I’m seven.’ Michelle interrupted pointedly. ‘So we couldn’t be twins, because he’s only six. Practically a baby and I’m seven. Plus, he’s English.’ She said with distain. 

‘I’m not a baby.’ James protested weakly.

‘Michelle.’ Granda scolded. ‘Don’t be rude. Mr Gallagher’s just saying you and James look similar.’  
She scowled up at him. 

‘Come on.’ Granda sighed taking each of them by the hand. ‘We ought to be on our way.’

Michelle trailed alongside Granda, quietly fuming that people kept comparing her to her stupid baby of a cousin.

______________________________________________________________________________

Years later Aunty Cathy rocked up unannounced on their doorstep with her son in tow, declaring she had divorced her husband and she was moving back to Derry. 

She enrolled James in Michelle’s all girl school, and then she left, without even saying goodbye. 

Michelle told herself she didn’t care. That the heartbroken look on James’ face as her Mammy drove them home from that eventful detention, didn’t move her in the slightest, and it didn’t.

Nor did the ever so slight tremble in his voice as he lent forwards from the backseat to ask her Mammy a question that made Michelle jerk around to look at him. 

‘What’s going to happen now Aunty Deirdre?’ He asked in a quiet, sad voice and for a moment in her minds eye Michelle could see the shy little boy who had hid behind their granda’s legs. 

‘What do you mean?’ Mammy asked as they pulled up to their house.

‘To me.’ He asked. ‘What’s going to happen now, to me?’ 

Mammy turned to look back at him with an expression even Michelle couldn’t quite read.  
‘Let’s go inside and we’ll talk about it.’

They got out of the car and walked into the house. Michelle was surprised to see her Da already sat at the kitchen table, waiting for them. 

They all sat down quietly. 

‘Well?’ Michelle prompted purely because she couldn’t stand the quiet, not because the look of fear on James’ face had her feeling sorry for the English prick. 

‘Michelle.’ Daddy scolded. ‘Be quiet.’ 

He turned to James and in a much kinder voice began to speak. ‘Now we’ve all had a long talk – Your Mother, Granny and Granda, your Aunt and I, and we all think it’s for the best if you stay here with us.’

James seemed to shrink in on himself. He looked small and scared. Looking at him Michelle felt like there was ten years between them, instead of ten months. 

Before anyone had the chance to say anything more the front door slammed open with a bang and Granny came storming in, Granda just a step behind her. 

Granny looked at Mammy and shook her head. ‘Honestly, your sister.’ She tutted. Mammy nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything.

‘Aye Jamie, look at you.’ Granny cooed fussing at James like he was six years old again.

Michelle rolled her eyes, her sympathy for James quickly subsiding as Granny fussed about with his messy curls. 

‘Ach Deirdre look at them.’ Granny said proudly looking from James to Michelle and back again. ‘Even after all these years they still look like twins, don’t they?’

James shot her a bewildered look and Michelle rolled her eyes. Feeling that familiar twitch of annoyance at being compared to the wee English prick.  
__________________________________________________________________________

It had been a rainy Saturday when the whole gang was hanging out at Michelle’s house instead of Erin’s for a change when Clare noticed the picture on the sideboard. 

It had been an old photo Granny had brought over from her house, insisting that Mammy put it up with the other family photos, least James not feel a part of the family. 

Michelle had rolled her eyes so hard she worried she would pull a muscle in her face. She doubted James had even noticed, he certainly hadn’t said anything about it. 

‘Who’s this?’ Clare asked shoving the photo in Michelle’s face.

Michelle glanced down at the photo. It was of her, James and her older brother Ryan. It had been taken on the visit when James had been six. The three of them were sat squished together on the sofa. 

Michelle looked at her blankly. ‘Are you serious Clare?’ 

‘What do you mean?’ Clare asked sounding offended. 

‘Let me see.’ Orla leaned over Clare’s shoulder to look at the photo. ‘Aye Michelle, you never told me you have a twin! That’s cracker.’ 

‘What?!’ Erin’s eyebrows raised up and she leaped up from where she had been sitting on the sofa to look at the picture over Clare’s other shoulder. 

Michelle looked at James incredulously. ‘Are they for fucking real?’ She asked. He shrugged in response. ‘I don’t even know anymore.’ 

‘Well Michelle.’ Erin prompted still looking at the photo. ‘Who is it?’ 

‘It’s James you idiots.’

‘Oh.’ Clare and Erin said in unison. 

‘Aye Michelle, you and James are twins? Why didn’t you tell us?’

‘Feck sake Orla. We’re not twins. The little boy in the photo is James.’ Michelle explained not quite patiently. 

‘Ooooh’ Orla exclaimed, sounding disappointed. 

‘You do look a lot alike in that photo though to be fair.’ Erin said.  
‘Yeah, actually now I think about it you the two of you look a lot alike now too really.’ Clare added.

‘We are cousins.’ James said slowly, as though he were speaking to idiots. 

‘Yeah but so are Erin and Orla, and they don’t really look much alike.’ Clare pointed out.

‘Are you sure you’re not twins?’ Orla asked suspiciously. 

‘Very sure Orla.’ Michelle insisted. ‘The whole English thing aside, I’m ten months older then him.’ 

‘Hmmm’ Orla studied their faces carefully. ‘I don’t know, now we’re talking about it I can’t stop seeing the similarities.’

‘Yeah again Orla that’s probably because we’re related. Doesn’t mean we’re twins.’ Michelle explained slowly. 

‘It would be cracker if you were though.’ She pouted. 

Michelle and James glanced at each other, sharing a smile at their friend’s antics, and not that she would ever admit it out loud, but Michelle found she didn’t mind their similarities being pointed out so much anymore. 

After all, what did she expect? They were related.


End file.
